Cake Batter Bark

Source: Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
7 ounces good dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe's brand)
12 ounces good white chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)
1.5 heaping tsp.  yellow bake mix
Colored sprinkles

Directions:
1- Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, over a double burner, or over low flame. Spread thinly over parchment paper of a silpat.
2- Cool in the freezer for 20 minutes.
3- Melt the white chocolate. Add the cake mix, stir well. Spread over the dark. (Do a little bit at a time because it will melt the chocolate and it won't look as pretty.)
4- Top with rainbow sprinkles. Freeze for 20 more minutes.
5- Break into pieces and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat it.

Sand Castle Cake

This crumb-covered cake is "shore" to make a splash at any beach- or sea-themed birthday bash. Scatter some candy seashells and rocks around the base and prepare for a wave of compliments.

What you'll need

• 8-inch round yellow cake
• 9-inch square yellow cake
• 2 (12-ounce) cans whipped vanilla frosting
• Vanilla wafers, 12-ounce box
• 4 jumbo ice-cream cups
• 2 small ice-cream cups
• 6 sugar cones
• Graham cracker sticks (we used Nabisco Honey Maid Grahams Honey Sticks)
• Candy seashells and rocks

How to make it

1. 
   Use a long serrated knife to trim the top of the round cake flat, if needed. Cut a 5 1/2-inch and a 3 1/2-inch circle from the square cake, then stack all three pieces, spreading vanilla frosting between the layers. Frost the stack.
2. Use a rolling pin or food processor to crumble the wafers. With your hands, press the crumbs into the frosting, completely coating the cake. Spread frosting on the bottom of each ice-cream cup, then set them around the cake. With a serrated knife, carefully trim 1 1/2 inches from the top of 2 of the sugar cones. Set all 6 cones into the cups to complete the turrets, spreading a bit of frosting around the rims to hold them if needed.
3. Press 2 graham cracker-stick doors into the middle cake layer and rim the rest of the cake with graham cracker-stick halves. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs around the base and add a scattering of candy seashells and rocks. Serves 12.

Cheesy Potatoes

1 28 oz. bag frozen hashbrowns
1 small can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
4 oz. cream cheese
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated
(I added a little bit of melted butter, help me God. The reason being one - butter is tasty and two - one recipe had a bit of melted butter and one did not, so I chose to add just a bit as a compromise)

1.  Preheat oven to 350-f degrees.  In medium sauce pan mix chicken soup, sour cream and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.  Add cheese (and butter if using) and stir until melted.  Add hashbrowns and stir well to combine. Pour hashbrowns into a deep 9"x9" casserole dish (greased). Smooth out flat and bake for 1 hour or until light brown and bubbly.